Peruvian student won a scholarship for ELI Summer 2

Peruvian student won a scholarship for ELI Summer 2

Around 300 Peruvian students applied for an academic scholarship to study at the English Language Institute at the College of Staten Island. The scholarship included fees and books during the second summer term.

Alejandra Beltrán, from the city of Arequipa in Peru, applied to the English Language Institute (ELI) at the College of Staten Island (CSI)/The City University of New York (CUNY) and won a scholarship among 300 applicants. It is the first time that ELI offers an academic scholarship and it will be offered from time to time in different countries.

The scholarship included the application and document processing fees, English books for the program, and the tuition fee of US$ 1,600 for the second summer term of the Intensive English Program that ELI offers between July and August. Alejandra stayed with a host family that welcomes CSI international students, close to campus, and had a great cultural experience.

The selection process was very difficult since the 300 applicants needed to show their best grades in order to be selected. Alejandra, who is currently studying in one of the best universities in Peru (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) also commented: “I feel very excited to be part of this experience, especially to improve my English and university studies, which will be reflected on the internationalization, academic strength and community service. When I return, my experience will let me lead with new ideas in my field of studies and within my social context.”

During classes, Alejandra studied different English courses such as reading and writing, grammar, speaking and a TOEFL workshop, having an ITP TOEFL test at the end of the program. She had classmates from all over the world, with students from China, Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, and Turkey. The program included a field trip in Manhattan and a Culture Day activity, where students interacted, learned from other cultures, and visited different places. Alejandra said “I think the College is very beautiful, the campus is very pleasant, really large, a lot of green areas, very quiet, and well located.”

The English Language Institute is part of the Center for Global Engagement at CSI and is focused on strengthening the students’ English language skills for applying to university, finding a better job, or living in the USA. ELI offers different terms during the year and students can come to the largest CUNY campus at any time and study one or more weeks.

ELI congratulates Alejandra and looks forward to welcoming more students from all over the world to have the same experience as Alejandra did in Staten Island and in New York.